Maybe He's A Lion
by Xiolancer
Summary: Aerith needs to learn that wandering off along isn't a good idea, especially when there is a certain silver haired swordsman lurking in the shadows. Aerith/Leon. Could be M rated later on. My first Hetro-couple story so no flames please!
1. Chapter 1

**Not Quite So Meaningless Author's Note – I'm aware this couple isn't very popular but after reading some of the very few fanfictions on Aerith and Leon I began to fall in love with them because it made sense to me. I am a yaoi fangirl at heart but I am proud to say that they are going to be my first Hetro-couple story ^.^**

**WARNING: Rated T at the moment but might change to M depending on how dirty my mind gets later on!**

**IMPORTANT: This story was co-written with my good friend **_**lakrar1201**_** so pleeaasseee check out his work; your mind will be blown! xD**

Maybe He's A Lion

Chapter: 1

Radiant Garden had grown into a much more peaceful town since Sora, Donald and Goofy left for the last time. The streets had grown warmer, livelier and brighter. People were no longer afraid to step outside their doors. The numbers of Heartless and Nobodies had decreased dramatically allowing The Restoration Committee to defend the town's people more efficiently. With a happy future ahead, the committee members couldn't help but feel bored in their new peaceful routine. The sun was at its highest in the sky, ready for its slow decent into night. The committee members decided to take a break from doing nothing and headed back to Merlin's to prepare for lunch.

She knew everyone would be angry with her for walking off on her own. There was a slight dreaded feeling of going back to Merlin's house. She was not ready to head back inside; staying out in the sun was far more appealing. As she carried on walking to the outskirts of town, she decided to take her time. Aerith began to wander down The Great Maw. Her pink summer dress billowed gently against the draft that tunnelled down the area and her long braided hazelnut hair whipped behind her. With each clip of her brown boots, she hummed happily to herself; a beautiful contest to the dull quiet surroundings. She briskly made her way up into the small cliffs of The Dark Depths looking over Villain's Vale holding Maleficent's empty castle. With her bare arm, she wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on her brow from the trek uphill. She placed her hands on her hips as she sighed happily at the silence around her. It was difficult not to look at the towering black castle before her. As unsettling as the site was, she knew she was safe. Immediately catching her attention a moment later, Aerith gasped suddenly as she spotted two yellow flowers sprouting from the very edge of the rock face. Their fragile stems swayed as their tiny petals fluttered gracefully. She ran to them with a wide smile across her cheeks.

"Finally!" She exclaimed joyously, falling to her knees before them. She gleefully clapped her hands in a small victory.

Her fingertips brushed against the smooth coating of the petals before drawing back into a giddy laugh.

"After all this time…" her emotions flared in her chest. "Flowers are finally returning to Radiant Garden…"

She took a moment to bring her clasped hands to her chest in silent thanks to nature who finally decided to return to her barren homeland. Quickly wiping a few tears that made their way down her cheeks she gave out a long content sigh as she continued to simply gaze at the small innocent miracle. Her thoughts soon drifted to a bright future ahead, starting with these two simple little creations.

"How foolish of you to wander off alone…"

She scrambled to her feet in fright at the knowing voice that cut through the silence. She sharply turned on her heel. Her eyes widened at the man who stood before her; an amused smirk across his angular face.

"Sephiroth…"

His long sliver hair framed his piercing green eyes that narrowed in amusement. He took his time to drink in her obvious distress.

"I am truly insulted that you have all forgotten my existence" He frowned dangerously.

Aerith instinctively took a small step back but immediately remembered that she was on the edge of the cliff. She was completely trapped. Without moving, she slowly looked down at her side to the fatal drop behind her. Her breathing quickened with panic, trying desperately to think of way to escape…there was none.

"I do not take kindly to being ignored" the warning tone in his smooth voice snapped her gaze back up to meet his.

"Perhaps I should make myself known to your pathetic lot."

He sneered in satisfaction as his heightened senses noticed her lithe form tremble ever so slightly.

"But I wonder..." he continued. "What form of sign shall I send to them?"

He slowly began to take small steps forward; like a cat, he intended to toy with his prey.

"How about you're mangled corpse as a token of my will?"

Aerith's eyes began to fill with fearful tears. Her breathing was now erratic in horror as she watched him stalk towards her. Her body curled in on itself in a pitiful defence against her impending torture.

Sephiroth hummed deeply as he raised his hand ever so slightly towards her. Aerith convulsed in a sudden burst of pain; she doubled over from the force that shot through her body. She cried out in agony as her whole being burned. The pain left as soon as it came, leaving her to drop to her knees completely drained of all energy. She quivered viscously from the shock, trying to gather the strength to stand, but her legs were too heavy to move.

"W-wha…?"

"It's futile to even attempt to resist, you will only waste the little energy you have left. I intend to make you scream"

Sephiroth could not help the laugh that escaped his chest, watching the pathetic girl squirm was far too entertaining to ignore.

"I doubt it will take long for Cloud to find me again; what a fitting gift you will be on his return"

Aerith whimpered in terror, allowing her tears to fall freely down her face. She lifted her head to stare at Sephiroth who was now only mere feet away from her.

"You…" she began weakly. "Y-you will never….get away with this…"

Sephiroth barked out a laugh.

"You pitiful girl…" he mocked her. "You dare insult me further? Your worthless friends could never hope to defeat me"

Her hands shaking, she brought them up to her chest, mustering the courage she needed to stay strong.

"You may believe that is so…" her eyes seared with determination. "But my friends…they have a kind of power you…can never hope to have!"

She clasped her hands tightly at her chest.

"Their hearts!"

Sephiroth hummed a deep menacing cackle within his chest.

"You truly are an insignificant site. That boy, Sora, has filled your mind with nonsense"

He quickly swatted away her idiocy as he continued his provoking prowl towards her.

Aerith's head spun in a wave of dizziness; her head fell. Her body jerked as sobs erupted in despair.

In the following moments, Aerith couldn't help but think of someone who was probably sitting in Merlin's cluttered house, swimming in unorganised spell books. She imagined them squashing up against the others around a table too small to fit them as they ate their lunch in animated chatter. She recollected their stoic features curling into a smile, their deep ocean blue eyes bright with unspoken thoughts. She imagined herself hearing their rare bursts of laughter, the way they walked, talked and the feel of their calloused hands. She thought of how badly she wished she could have gone home with them instead of wandering off on her own. Her regret spilled forth from her eyes to the ground below her.

"_Leon…"_

Sephiroth grunted as he launched himself high into the air. His devilish grin spread wide in a manic frenzy. Angling his sword, he plunged down with the intention of impaling the girl beneath him.

His target came rushing towards him, but in the blink of an eye, a strange blur obscured his vision. A split second later, his sword deflected violently against a metal surface forcing him to thrust back up into the air. Before he could recover from the mild shock, Sephiroth found himself being assaulted by a feverish series of strikes. He quickly changed tactic to parry each attack from this unknown swordsman whose form was blurred by the agility of his raid. Every strike caused loud sparks of clashing metal to ring out into the air. When final blow came, it clashed with his Masamune with impressive force that propelled him away out of range for a counter attack. Sephiroth managed to land gracefully back onto the rocky ground, a snarl twitching at the corners of his mouth. However, he was caught in surprise as he identified the one who managed to catch him off guard. It was not who he thought it was…

"You!" he growled as he saw Leon stand before him in a defensive stance, his free arm outstretched in a protective gesture to Aerith who had a stunned expression across her face.

"_Impossible! But how did I not see this inadequate fool?"_

Sephiroth was intrigued by this new development. He was going to have fun with this.


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe He's A Lion 

Chapter: 2

Leon narrowed his eyes dangerously at Sephiroth, the Revolver hanging heavy on his shoulder, ready to swing at the slightest provocation.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her." Leon warned, raising the hand that was outstretched toward Aerith to hold it level with Sephiroth.

A blue aura began forming on his palm, he knew that most likely his magic wouldn't affect his strong opponent but it served as a proverbial warning shot. Sephiroth smirked at his bravado, dropping into his battle stance and staring into Leon's eyes with cold malice.

"You cannot keep up the brave face forever, soon you too will beg for forgiveness." Sephiroth taunted, slowly circling Leon, who in turn moved to keep himself between Aerith and Sephiroth.

"Don't patronize me; I don't need your forgiveness. Matter of fact I don't need anything from you." Squall spat with contempt keeping the hand not gripping Revolver trained on Sephiroth.

He had learned how to hit a flying Heartless right between the eyes to compensate for his range but Sephiroth was no Heartless, he thought on a level far beyond most people's comprehension.

"Oh." Sephiroth said with amusement. "The lonesome cub thinks that he can be the hero of her heart. How truly tragic, do you think she will ever fill the holes in your heart?"

Sephiroth's taunts struck a nerve in Leon. He launched the magic he had been holding back. An orb of ice soared toward Sephiroth who casually batted it away, Leon wasn't finished yet, using the recoil from his spell he swung his arm around again to cast a powerful fire spell. This was however also knocked aside by the master swordsman, Leon increased the speed of his magic casting an entire fusillade of magic before holding his hand up and bringing it down unleashing a line of wicked lightning, the sudden change caught Sephiroth off guard causing him to leap to the side.

"Pathetic, no wonder you couldn't save this world before." Sephiroth let out a small chuckle and held up his free hand, summoning a huge amount of dark orbs around Leon and Aerith.

Leon, thinking quickly, tilted his Revolver and spun around. The shells floated into the air around the two of them and exploded, destroying the shadow orbs. He heard a whooshing sound and looked around to find Sephiroth gone. He waited, every muscle in his body tensed, listening for the tell-tale sound of Sephiroth's teleport. As soon as he heard it behind Aerith he leapt over her and blocked a downward slash from Sephiroth, aimed directly at Aerith.

"Back off, no one needs a rejected hero with an attitude problem." He growled at the silver haired champion.

Leon pushed forward and shoved Sephiroth back, before quickly slashing upward catching Sephiroth and sending him into the air, acting on instinct he leapt up and struck Sephiroth in the back sending him back to the ground. Before Sephiroth could hit the ground Leon held the Revolver at his heel and pulled the trigger, sending a bone cracking kick into Sephiroth's back. Sephiroth hit the ground and flipped himself forward away from the furious lion. This gave Squall time to quickly draw a Potion out of his jacket and toss it to Aerith. The emerald bottle exploded above Aerith and healed her somewhat. She stood again wearily and smiled at Leon. He couldn't help his own smile that surfaced. A sense of relief washed over him. Aerith then gasped and pointed behind him. Leon didn't turn fast enough to escape Sephiroth's retaliation slash, he avoided the stab aimed at his heart but it cut straight along his back, shredding the back of his signature black leather jacket. He turned to block another incoming slash from Sephiroth. Anger rose in Leon as the two swordsmen clashed blades, sparks flying between them.

"That was my favourite jacket!" He spat at the smirking foe before him. He swept his leg trying to trip Sephiroth up; he resolved that it was now time to throw out the rule book and fight dirty. Sephiroth jumped over Leon's leg but before Sephiroth could swing his deadly long blade Leon jumped up and elbowed him in the face. Then he launched into a quick series of slashes, deliberately trying to keep Sephiroth staggered. He finished by lunging at Sephiroth and pulling the trigger, he did this a total of four times before sending him flying. He smirked when he noticed Sephiroth scowl at him.

"Insolent little cub." He drawled, an aura of darkness surrounding him. "It's time you learned your place."

Sephiroth held up his hand and pillars of flame erupted around him, drawing Leon in. He tried to backtrack against the incredible power drawing him in. He noticed Aerith also struggling against the vacuum. He rolled toward her as she tripped. He covered her body with his and stabbed Revolver into the ground, keeping them in place. He heard Aerith's small whimpers of freight; he instinctively held her closer. After what seemed like an eternity, the flames subsided and Leon heard Sephiroth teleport again, he quickly pushed Aerith away from him and rolled away as Masamune was embedded into the space they had just occupied. Leon rolled back and got to his feet and channelled his power into Revolver, causing the blade to grow to three times its size and shine with power. He slammed the blade down but Sephiroth was able to withdraw Masamune from the ground in time to swing it up to block the strike. Leon growled as he pushed more power into Revolver but Sephiroth and Masamune remained unmoving, slowly however he noticed a tiny shift, almost miniscule but it was definitely there, it shifted ever so slightly in his favour. He pushed more power into the blade hoping to strike Sephiroth down but the champion disappeared again, this time Leon couldn't raise his blade in time due to his fatigue of expending so much power in his attack. Sephiroth appeared from behind and launched Leon into the air, teleporting up again and hitting him with a graceful and deadly combo. At the end he knocked Leon higher and tried to do the same but this time Leon spun around and blocked the initial hit. Sephiroth recoiled from the parry and Leon spun in the air vertically sending more shells out to explode and hit Sephiroth.

Sephiroth landed first and ran toward Aerith with ruthless and deadly intent. Just as Aerith was about to scream for help, Leon dropped down at the last second and launched the same attack as before, chopping with Revolver charged with energy. Sephiroth was hit again and sent back. Leon noticed a slight blurring around the edges of his vision as he tried to focus on Sephiroth standing on the edge of the Dark Depths. He began to feel slightly unsteady on his feet so he gripped the handle of his Revolver tightly and pushed back his weariness. His opponent disappeared again but this time he appeared in the sky before the decrepit castle, he held up his free hand and in the sky. Leon saw a whole field of meteors rapidly descending from the heavens. In a frenzied rush, he grabbed Aerith who squeaked in surprise and pressed her against the back wall, keeping his body between her and the meteors.

"Leon!" she cried out in fear, gripping onto his white top tightly.

Looking down at her, Leon nodded in reassurance, his chest clenched at the tears forming in her bright green eyes.

"Prepare to suffer for your sins." Sephiroth taunted.

Leon could barely hear him. As soon as the words left his mouth the meteors hit. Leon felt like each hit was worse than the last. He screwed his eyes shut in pain, he thought that he heard Aerith say his name but his senses were incredibly dulled, all he could feel was pain, searing and unrelenting. He wouldn't fail though, he just wouldn't allow it. He would always be there to protect them, _her_. He could almost feel Aerith's face pressed close to his collarbone, that feeling was enough to help him through. The meteors finally ended and Leon fell to his knees before Aerith. His breath came out in haggard gasps; he barely had the strength left in him to grab Revolver. Slowly he turned to see Sephiroth standing in the centre of the small area, with that insufferable smirk.

"So, are you ready to beg for your forgiveness yet?"

The offer stung as Leon didn't have the energy in him to stand. He didn't want to accept it but this looked like the end.

"No matter, I will send you on your way." Sephiroth leapt into the air his wing extending in a burst of black feathers as he hovered like a bird of prey eyeing its next kill.

He rapidly shot down toward Leon intent on ending the proud lion's fight and then finishing off Aerith as he originally planned.

Before the One Winged Angel could deliver the final hit, Leon felt a huge wave of relief as a large portion of his wounds were healed, cuts sealed and burns were soothed. He briefly looked over his should to see that Aerith had saved his life. He still hurt but he had energy now to stand, which meant he could fight back. Gathering all his remaining strength he ran to meet Sephiroth. He slashed upward, catching the descending sword master off guard and launching him into the air. A blue aura had condensed around his Revolver, changing its appearance. He leapt upward and before Sephiroth could recover and launched a massive wave of attacks, chaining one into the other relentlessly. He kicked off Sephiroth and sent more energy into his weapon before charging forward in the air slashing one final time. The two seemed to hang into the air for longer than possible before an explosion burst out from Sephiroth's chest sending him crashing into ground. Leon landed and fell to one knee. He was still between Sephiroth and Aerith and as far as he could tell, Sephiroth was worse off than him.

He felt his spirit drain as the object of his thoughts rose from a crater that had formed as he hit the ground, a large wound on his chest. He was smirking again but he was clearly hurt.

"Impressive." That made Squall's eyes as wide as dinner plates. "You seem to be much more skilled than I had first believed. Now go, I know Cloud is here, tell him to come to me. It's time we finish this."

Extending his glorious black wing, he wrapped it around himself. In an eye catching display, Sephiroth evaporated, leaving behind a cluster of black feathers to be carried away by the wind. This time however Leon couldn't feel him in the area anymore, wherever he was he wasn't here and that suited him just fine right now. He wouldn't wish Sephiroth on anyone but if anyone could handle the ultra-powerful psychopath, Cloud could. He felt his vision blur again. He looked over his shoulder to see that Aerith had slumped back down on her knees, clearly still terribly weak from her ordeal. Without the strength to stand, Leon crawled across the rocks to her side, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Aerith grabbed his shoulders.

"Leon, are you ok!" She asked frantically, he could hardly hear her though he was reasonably sure he was about to black out, still he felt he should assuage her worries. He raised his head as best he could and forced the words out of his mouth.

"M'super." He slurred. "I'll be up again in a second, just going rest for a minute." He trailed off before closing his eyes and resting his head on Aerith's shoulder. She guided his head down into her lap and focused on trying to heal him as best she could.

"_I just…don't have the energy to use magic…"_

She let out a long breath before simply laying her hands in his hair, trying to somehow make him feel better.

"Don't ever…wander off alone…you got that?" Leon's voice was strained. Aerith's guilt intensified.

"I-I'm…I'm so sorry…"

"W-what…if I…was too late?"

"I'm so sorry!" she repeated, sobbing gently. She bent over slightly to cry into Leon's brown mass of hair.

Minutes went by slowly. Leon could feel her tears against his scalp. She was fine. _Safe_. He was finally able to protect someone. But night was beginning to fall.

"Okay…we have to go…we aren't safe here"

Leon shifted in her lap to get to his feet. He groaned loudly as his remaining wounds protested against the movement.

"No don't get up! You can't-"

Leon ignored her and his pain to finally get to his feet. He looked down at Aerith whose cheeks had grown hollow. Her eyes had darkened with fatigue and her skin pale with the cold. Not saying a word he pulled Aerith up by her forearm to rest against his chest. He felt her knees buckle and shake. Leon grunted, swallowing the agony to shrug off his now torn leather jacket to wrap around her shoulders.

"Please! You don't have to do that, I'm alright. You-"

He lifted her up, still ignoring her protests, into his arms and slowly but surely, began to walk.

"Leon put me down, I can-"

"No" he simply said. "Potions only heal so much, and your still not fit enough to walk"

Aerith's protests eventually calmed down as she realised Leon wasn't listening to her. She felt awful with each unsteady step he took across The Great Maw. She could feel the tension across his chest and see it in his face. He was trying so hard not to show the weakness and the pain he felt from the battle. Leon tried to concentrate on his breathing. He embraced the pain he felt to help him to continue forward. Every step was sheer torture but he knew he couldn't stop. He had to keep moving. She was counting on him.

"_Not long to…go now…almost there…"_

He began to concentrate on the feeling of Aerith's face resting against his chest, more evidence of her safety. It was now that he realised just how much she meant to him. No words could describe how he felt in the moments when he saw Sephiroth descended upon her; his sword gleaming deadly in her direction. How his heart had leaped into his throat as he rushed forward to save her. He looked down to see that she was dazing off into another world of her own. He genuinely frowned at himself when he thought of the possibly that she could have been dead now. Those thoughts were soon shoved aside; it was far too painful to think about.

"Leon…" Aerith spoke softly after a while.

"Please put me down, I think I can walk now" she said as calmly as possible.

Leon stopped and tried hard not to look defeated as he carefully put her down. As soon as her weight left his shoulders, he collapsed onto his knees harshly with a thud.

"_Dammit!"_

Aerith fell down with him to grab his shoulders to stop him from falling further. Leon ended up in Aerith's embrace, his cheek resting on her shoulder, the rest of his body sprawled across the dusty ground. Leon tried to vocal an apology but a groan of pain escaped his lips instead.

Aerith held onto him tightly, her hand gripping onto his bare arm to keep him close. He shakily brought up a hand to cover hers.

"Damn it!" he hissed at the stinging pain. "Aerith, please do as I say…and run as fast as you can…back to Merlin's"

"Wh-what? No I can't just leave you here L-"

"Please…do as I say…"

He suddenly exploded into a fit of coughing that shook his entire body. Aerith held on as he jerked violently in her lap. As soon as the coughing ended, Leon went limp.

"No, come on Leon stay awake, don't pass out on me!" she gave him a little shake to rouse him again. He moaned in protest.

"_I have to keep him talking till someone finds us…I don't think I can carry him home by myself…"_

She took his hand into hers and noticed the ring that he always wears without fail. She touched the cold surface of the metal; a creature's head was crafted into the band.

"It's a cool-looking ring. What's this monster on it anyway?" she asked, hoping it would be enough to keep Leon's brain active enough.

"It's…not a monster. It's a…lion" he said slowly through his hard breathing.

"Lions…are known for their great…strength and pride"

"Hmm, great strength and pride…kinda like you, Leon" she smiled, absentmindedly threading her lean fingers through his hair.

"I wish…" he tried to laugh bitterly, but ended up giving out a hiss from the constant ache.

"So…" Aerith began, trying to calm him down. "This L I O N of yours, does it have a name?"

"Of course…" Leon said, a smile slightly tugging his lips. "Griever"

"So that's what you call it" Aerith stated, finding it hard to come up with more conversation to keep him talking.

"Maybe I should get one exactly like it" the words just began to slip out of her mouth before her brain could process it. "Who knows, maybe I can become like a lion, too"

"Maybe…" Leon's voice now faint, his eyes slowly closed.

Before Aerith had the chance to react, she heard the voice of someone she was sure glad to see.


End file.
